


A Chorus In Your Silence

by BridgeGoblin



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Eventual Romance, F/M, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Murder Mystery, Romance, Self-Esteem Issues, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:48:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26189011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BridgeGoblin/pseuds/BridgeGoblin
Summary: Valoran University is reeling from the death of one of their own students mid-semester. Sona Buvelle just wants to live her college life as drama free as possible, but with tensions between students running high, and the student she's tutoring in music theory is an insufferable loudmouthed Noxian, that goal is seeming less and less likely by the day.
Relationships: Sona Buvelle/Draven
Comments: 23
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this fic would not have been possible without ZuliDoodles on tumblr, who's Draven x Sona comics were a huge inspiration for their dynamic in general. If you haven't seen them give em a search, they're adorable and completely sold me on this ship in general. 
> 
> This fic has a lot of moving parts that I'm excited about and is definitely going to be a fun learning experience so bear with me! Hope y'all enjoy <3

Sona Buvelle digs her fingers into the leather seat she’s found herself strapped into, and she feels the metal death trap posing as a car lurch as Evelyn swerves into the left lane. Sona's stomach jumps into her throat as she watches in horror how the speedometer is currently climbing well beyond the speed limit. Eve doesn’t do much to quell her fears, when the pretty brunette with a pixie cut and crimson lipstick feels Sona’s gaze drift to her she simply smirks. “Sona dear don’t look at me like that, you were the one who was worried about being late.” Evelyn glances back to her over her pink sunglasses, and Sona swallows the lump in her throat.

She hates car rides. She hates feeling confined. She hates that she can’t communicate with people easily. She has no control, she has no way to speak, and Eve’s reckless driving is only fueling her anxiety. 

The song that had been blaring on the radio fades out and is replaced by a morning radio announcer.  _ “Good morning Demacia, this is your WDMA Morning News Update. Demacian Law Enforcement is still working with Valoran University campus security to find the culprit of this horrific murder. After a thorough investigation of the campus, classes resume today for the first time since the body-” _

Sona nearly slams her fingers into the radio as she hurriedly swaps the station. If she has to listen to anymore updates on this, while Eve is driving, she thinks she’ll throw up. It swaps to some country station and her roommate, Ahri, laughs behind her. _ “Country?  _ Really Sona? I thought celebs had better taste.” Sona turns around to the backseat to glare at her, her cheeks burning a bright red hue. Ahri purses her pink lips and bats her eyelashes innocently, while Akali who is lounging at her side lets out a biting laugh.

“Ahri, you’re playing with fire there!” Akali elbows Ahri in the ribs. Both the dark haired girls know the ‘celebrity’ moniker is a testy subject for Sona. 

Sona sighs and tries to relax into her seat, running her fingers through her cyan pigtails as she breathes and counts to 10. They’re almost to campus. Just a few more minutes. She pulls out her cell phone and opens her emails, seeing the one she’s pinned to the top of her inbox and checks it for the upteenth time today.  _ “Miss Buvelle, can you stop by my office this morning before class? 7:45 sharp?”  _ She checks the current time. 7:35. She supposes if it wasn’t for Eve she’d definitely be late, but it was her three friends who even had her so far from campus in the first place.

Eve and Akali have an off campus apartment in Demacia City proper and had invited Ahri and Sona over for a sleepover for the weekend. A few days just relaxing with the girls before classes resumed. Ahri and Sona live pretty close to campus, and in all honesty it had been getting claustrophobic. Cop cars patrolled the streets, officers knocked on doors to ask questions to anyone who may have been around to witness the young girls’ untimely demise. Someone had even knocked on  _ their _ apartment door, but Sona pretended to not be home. She hadn’t seen anything anyway... 

Sona's body lurches forward, stopped only by her seat belt catching her as Evelyn stops short. A motorcycle cuts them off as it swerves between cars and Evelyn swears under her breath. Sona's eyes catch how the rider's leather jacket has a Noxian emblem embroidered on it, a detail not remiss to Evelyn either. "Fucking Noxian bastards, they have absolutely no regard for others. Selfish cunts." She growls as her fingers grip her steering wheel tightly.

Sona rolls her eyes, for once glad she can’t speak. She had a witty retort like ‘you’d make a good Noxian then’ but honestly she shouldn’t be insulting Eve like that. The girl’s nails are  _ sharp _ and most likely deadly.  But it's not long after that they exit the highway and park in the campus lot. Sona nearly bursts out of the car when Eve slides into the parking space. She briefly glances at her phone one more time. 7:41. 

She grabs her messenger bag from the seat and with a little wave to her friends she's dashing to the classroom. Her feet crunch along the frosted grass lawns of the campus, and she shivers in the brisk November air as she runs as fast as her long legs can carry her. The campus is a blur of red bricks and white trim as she beelines for Laurant Music and Performance Hall. Her hands slam into the push doors, flinging them open as she skitters down the hallways and to her classroom. She slows down, and checks her phone. 7:45. She pats down her cream skirt to flatten out any wrinkles, takes a deep breath to calm her breathing, and steps inside.

Her professor, Dr. Bernard, a portly man with salt and pepper hair, smiles warmly at her as she enters. "Miss Buvelle! Just in time." He gestures to an armchair he's placed in front of his desk which she gracefully glides into. He shuffles some papers he has on his desk and Sona waits patiently, curious what could have her called in so early. She keeps her hands folded in her lap and sits up straight, keeping up her confident outward persona her mother ingrained into her. 

"You are one of the brightest students to grace these halls Miss Buvelle, which is unsurprising given your history." Sona has to stop herself from grimacing at the comment. She knows he means it as a compliment even if it brings back distasteful memories. "However there is some room for improvement. I know you've denied having a translator for the classroom, but I can't in good conscience grade you highly in class participation if you aren't... well… participating." Sona bristles and digs her nails into her knees. Translators always make her feel... disabled. She wants to feel normal, like she doesn't need help to do well in her classes. The translator also draws attention. It draws  _ pity. _

"Without participation the highest grade you can achieve in this class, which you will be achieving with ease, is an 85%. You can settle for that, or you can pick up some extra credit through my tutoring program." Dr. Bernard continues, he seems to be observing her carefully as he talks. "You help one of my struggling students, and you'll have that A with ease." 

She hesitates, mulling it over. It feels  _ unfair  _ to have to do extra work for this grade. She takes notes, she doesn't sleep during lectures like  _ some  _ people, she aces the tests. Why does she need to answer dumb redundant questions during class to get an A? But... tutoring can't be  _ that _ bad. She supposes this is the price she pays for refusing to have a translator follow her from class to class. She simply nods and Dr. Bernard looks  _ thrilled.  _ "Excellent! I’ll give you the contact information for the student, I’ve already talked to him about finding him a tutor. You two can work your scheduling out together. But if you need any help, I’m just an email away!” 

* * *

Sona sits beside Akali in their shared lecture class with Dr. Bernard, a music theory class. Akali is the only other student here this early, due to carpooling with Sona, and she slides a cup of warm coffee over to Sona. Sona's eyes light up and sips at it as other students file in, pleased her friend remembered her order. "Thought you'd need a pick me up after getting chewed out by the doc."

Sona rolls her eyes as she pulls out her notebook and writes an explanation in the margins.  _ “Just tutoring someone. Not in trouble >:("  _ She sticks her tongue at Akali as she slides her the notebook to read her reply. Akali snickers as her eyes roll over the words. 

"That's good. ‘ _ The bad girl’ _ isn't a good look for you I think." Akali teases and laughs at Sona's subsequent pouting. "So which dumbass are you babysitting then? You gotta have rocks for brains to struggle in here." Sona shrugs. She doesn't have the guys name, just his cell number. "Maybe he'll be one of those dumb yet cute frat boys." Akali says quietly, elbowing Sona and gesturing with her chin towards the gaggle of handsome students who just walked in and took their seats in the front row, and Sona shakes her head. She's seen them answer questions correctly from Bernard, she doubts it's one of them.

Two of Akali's friends, Ekko and Qiyana, take their standard seats in the row just in front of her and begin chattering with Akali. Sona sighs, knowing this is the time of the day when she essentially can't keep up with the conversation to be a part of it. She just can't write responses fast enough and the three never pause their banter for her to get a sentence written. So Sona goes back to people watching. Her eyes trace each student, trying to pick out which one could be the one she's going to be stuck with until their grades improve.

Dr. Bernard checks his watch, about to begin the class lecture, when the door to the classroom creaks open a final time. A young man with spiky brown hair and green eyes the color of fresh spring grass saunters in. He has a strong jawline and broad shoulders that are cloaked in a leather jacket. His most striking feature might be the long mustache draping from his lips, that only seems to complete his strange retro look. He sips absentmindedly from a coffee cup adorned with the campus coffee shop's logo before taking his seat at the desk to the right of Akali and Sona. When he sits down the back of his jacket catches her eye, it's the one the motorcyclist was wearing on the road. He props his feet up on the empty chair and leans back in his seat, hogging the duo of chairs.

Sona had noticed him earlier in the semester, but only remembered him as another student who never participated in class. She had taken comfort knowing she’s not the only one not answering questions. Now he's caught her attention as a possible candidate for who she's tutoring. 

Class starts and the chatter around her dies down. Akali is taking notes beside her as Dr. Bernard waxes poetically about compound beats. Sona slides her phone out from her purse and begins to text beneath the desk, quickly inputting the number Dr. Bernard had given her. 

_ "Hi! Dr. Bernard asked me to be your tutor. I'm Sona :)" _

She reads over her text a few times, hoping it's not too formal sounding, before hitting the enter button. She watches out of the corner of her eye as the mustachioed student slides his phone out of his pocket, before beginning to type. Her phone lights up as it gets a message back.

_ "u in class rn?" _

_ "Lol yeah. He talked to me before class started." _

_ "thought u were supposed to be a *good* student" _

She glares at the screen and then looks over at him. He's lounging with one arm across the back of the chair, smiling smugly when she sees him look his way. She looks down at her phone and begins typing furiously back to him.

_ "And I thought you needed my help."  _ She sends back and looks over to watch his reaction. He simply grins and chuckles under his breath. 

_ "u got me there" _

_ ">:P"  _ She sends the emoji and pointedly mimics the face at him. He needs her more than she needs him right now, so it's easy for her to throw snark back at him. She has nothing to lose.  _ "We can talk scheduling after class. What's your name btw? He didn't give it to me :(" _

_ "draven" _

_ "Okay! Get back to taking notes then Draven! Don't get distracted!" _

_ "YOURE THE ONE WHO STARTED TEXTING ME DURING CLASS" _

_ "I'm also the one with the A in this class :)" _

She puts her phone away and gives him one last glance from across the classroom. She can see he's biting back an annoyed groan as she catches his eye. She pantomimes writing with her pencil, motioning to what he should be doing, before actually getting back to doing it herself. The few notes she missed she'll be able to grab off Akali later anyway. __

* * *

Class ends and Sona begins to pack up, putting away text books and pencils as she does. "Hey, Ahri wanted me to remind you that you and her get more bullshit today for that dumb sorority." Akali says as she slides her own notebook away.

Sona sighs. She had forgotten she hadn't finished the hazing ceremony yet, it had been interrupted by the investigation. She's already had to do menial tasks for weeks for the girls. It's almost not becoming worth it. "Are the parties  _ really  _ worth your dignity." Akali asks, echoing her own thoughts.

_ "It's not the parties. Opportunities."  _ Sona scribbles quickly on her notepad. 

Akali reads it and rolls her eyes. "You and I both know that's a dumb excuse given who you are."

_ "Who I am is why this will be good for me."  _ Sona writes before slamming the notebook shut.

Akali shrugs and stands up. "Okay you two have fun debasing yourself for a cult of nobodies then." She says with a little wave and heads off with Ekko and Qiyana. 

She rolls her eyes as she watches her leave. She takes out her phone to text Ahri, curious if she knows what their next pledge assignment will be, when she notices the bulky figure standing beside her desk. "Hey teach." Sona looks up and sees Draven towering beside her, his hands shoved in his pockets. He's tall compared to her, especially with her still sitting at her desk.

She flips the notebook open, annoyed that she had just been about to put it away only for her to need to take it out again.  _ "It's Sona."  _ She hands him the note which he takes with a curious look on his face.

"You know class is over, we can talk out loud without getting in trouble. Or did meeting greatness leave you speechless." He hands the paper back to her with a sly grin. She grimaces, not enjoying the self congratulating pick up lines.

_ "I'm mute"  _

His eyebrows raise and he hums curiously. "Hm. That's annoying ain't it." Her face flushes bright red and she grips the pencil she's been holding onto. She just shrugs, not feeling like that warrants a written response. Her coldness doesn’t deter him as he presses on. "Is it hard for people to understand you if you don't got paper or your phone?"

_ "Wouldn't be hard if people knew sign"  _ she writes down, pressing the pencil so hard it snaps the tip on the last word before she shoves it to him.

"Huh." Is all he musters after he reads it. He clears his throat before continuing. "Anyway I got another class after this so as much as I would love to stay and chat, or keep writing love notes with you, I gotta go. Just text me what days we can meet up for you to help me not flunk this dumb class." 

Sona clenches her jaw. This Draven guy was just finding ways to push all of her buttons at once. The rude banter at least came off less grating over text. He saunters off without waiting for a response from her and she just glares daggers into his back.  _ What a jerk. Typical Noxian I guess...  _ She thinks to herself as she gathers the last of her things and storms out of the classroom.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey super sorry for the unexpected hiatus between last chapter and this one. Originally I was just going to take a bit of extra time to try to do kinktober throughout October, but I didn't even get to finish that because a bunch of my coworkers got quarantined in October into November they were idiots and went partying at bars with people infected with covid. Luckily no one we work with got sick from it but it screwed the rest of us. Everyone who didn't get quarantined had to pick up the slack and I was just super drained and it took me a while to not be emotionally exhausted enough to write anything. Updates will be a bit more regular now, Holidays and stuff might make me once again a bit drained (I am working all of them while my coworkers get off) but it probably shouldn't be as long of a wait between chapters like that.
> 
> Thank you for your patience with me and my disaster life scheduling lol :)

Sona slides into the ugly floral couches of her apartment, plopping her bag down on the coffee table and leans into the soft cushions. She doesn't have another class for a few more hours, and usually she'd use this time to get a head start on homework, but she's feeling exhausted after just one class. 

"Sona we got mail!" Ahri calls out, her sing song voice echoing through the apartment. From the sounds of a knife dicing vegetables and the smell of freshly grilled chicken, she can tell her roommate is presently cooking in the kitchen. Sona doesn't budge from her place on the couch. She picks up the remote off the coffee table and turns on the TV, scowling when she's confronted with a news reporter showing a picture of the dead VU student. She quickly flips the channel, much more eager to watch cheesy reality TV than to be confronted with her face.

Ahri saunters into their living room carrying a plate with a sandwich on it in one hand and a couple of letters in her other. She gracefully flicks the envelope addressed to Sona to her while she sits in the arm chair across from her. "Look more excited! This should be our last pledge before we're members of Theta Phi Kappa.”

Sona inspects the envelope, it has her name written in beautiful calligraphy and sealed with a wax stamp ingrained with the sorority’s initials. She hears the sounds of paper ripping as Ahri rather ungracefully tears into it in sheer excitement. Sona glances to her to see she's already reading it, she watches her face turn to one of excitement to a pure grimace. "Uh… how do they expect us to do this? I mean they can't really expect us to…" Ahri's voice trails off and Sona's own curiosity overwhelms her. She breaks the seal and pulls out her own letter. Her eyes skim the flowery language until it finds their last task.

_ "Procure a set of undergarments belonging to a Noxian student, and bring them to your future sisters. Evidence must be provided that they indeed do belong to a Noxian."  _

Sona's blood runs cold, the same questions Ahri had just asked begin to run through her mind. Her eyes travel back to Ahri who's biting her lip. Their eyes meet and Sona just slowly shakes her head and mouths  _ no. _ "Sona we can't give up, we've already come so far! Doing Sarah’s laundry for weeks can’t just amount to  _ nothing. _ We can come up with a plan…" 

Akali's disapproving comments run through Sona’s head. Maybe she was right… But joining this sorority has been something Sona has been looking forward to. A way for her to  _ earn  _ friendships, to earn a place where she belongs due to  _ her _ merit. Sona feels tears welling up in her eyes as she feels so  _ damn  _ conflicted. She's wanted this so bad but… how is she going to get into a Noxian's underwear drawer other than wooing her way into their bedroom?

"Wait, I got it." Ahri exclaims suddenly. "I have a plan. Alpha Delta Chi is throwing a party at their frat house this Friday, and girls get in free. There's a few Noxians that live there, so we sneak into their rooms while everyone is too drunk to notice, and make out like bandits!"

Sona's eyes light up. Sneaky. They don't have to do anything  _ too  _ horrible this way. Even if it means going to one of Alpha Delta Chi’s disgusting frat parties. Ahri grins wolfishly. "This will be fun. We got this."

* * *

Sona sits in the Valoran University library, plopped into a bean bag chair left out for students. The building is warmly decorated with colorful art and sculptures made by the fine arts majors. Even the interior design was hand picked by student artists. It’s always been one of her favorite places on campus, it feels eccentric yet cozy.  _ And _ maybe part of it is that Sona just likes bean bag chairs because her mother never let her have one as a kid. 

She has a stack of music theory books piled high next to her along with pieces of sheet music for practice. She scrolls twitter on her phone, glancing occasionally at the time. 11:07 am. He's late. And  _ he  _ picked the time. Annoying.

She sighs softly and pulls out her texts with him to make sure she got the date right. She had texted him the evening after their first classes together to schedule their first study session, and Wednesday morning before both of their afternoon classes seemed like the best time. So of  _ course  _ he's late. Typical Noxian…

"Draven's here don't worry! Sorry for being fashionably late." Sona glances up from her phone to see him plopping into the bean bag beside her. The cheeky grin on his face shows he certainly isn't sorry at all as he comfortably relaxes into the chair.

She rolls her eyes and holds out her hand with a quirked eyebrow. He stares at it confused, looks like he's about to take it to shake, before remembering that she had asked him to bring his old test sheets. He shrugs off his back pack and rifles through it and hands her some crumpled up pieces of paper which she gladly takes. She delicately uncrumples them to inspect the grades.

65%

45%

48%

_ 34% _

He really wasn't kidding about the struggling part.  _ "What's your major?"  _ She asks by writing it down on her notepad.

"Performing arts. That bad huh?" He's still smiling like this is some kinda joke to him.

_ "I just didn't see how someone serious about music could fail the introductory quiz." _

"Yeowch. Harsh!" He clutches his heart, feigning hurt, crumpling the note from her as he does the motion.

_ "That's better though. We just need to get you passing grades then for the credit. Was this an elective for you?" _

"Yeah I needed to take one music elective for my major. This one seemed the easiest. Ain't never done musical shit in my life before so it's been rough." 

She nods as she takes notes for herself on a separate notepad, writing down subjects she thinks will need to be readdressed before the midterms next month. The biggest issue seems to be the sheet music problems the professor puts at the end of every quiz.  _ "Can you even read sheet music?"  _

"Nope!"

She slowly pinches the bridge of her nose, trying to keep herself from getting too visibly frustrated. This isn't his interest after all. Not  _ everyone  _ gets the private classical music tutoring education she got from her family… But his attitude is driving Sona up a wall. He seems so  _ pleased  _ with his lack of knowledge, grinning in his bean bag chair and lounging lackadaisically. 

She pulls out some books and some blank sheet music.  _ "Let's start with the basics then." _

* * *

To Sona's genuine surprise Draven isn't as hopeless as she was beginning to feel. He asks questions, usually in an annoying way to make her roll her eyes at him, like asking if the bass clef was named after the  _ bass guitar.  _ He seems to be doing it to provoke reactions that he can laugh at, purposefully playing dumb just to keep the mood light. He does take to the material rather quickly, and after a couple hours of work she has him reading entire sheets of music she had brought as a bit of a test.

The librarian has to come over and hush them multiple times due to how loud Draven laughs when he gets a particularly funny reaction out of Sona. He rolls his eyes after the third time and the librarian walks away with an exasperated tone. "Dude I don't know how you and everyone in here can get anything done if this lady is shhhing you every 10 minutes."

_ "It's hard for me to get in trouble for being too loud after all."  _ Sona writes and taps the paper for emphasis as she slides it to him.

"Yeah yeah." Draven shrugs dismissively. "Next session we have should be at my place. Then we can be as loud as we want." He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively and Sona punches him in the shoulder, feeling her cheeks burn bright red at the innuendo. "It's a  _ joke _ Blue! You're so easy to fluster."

She looks at him incredulously.  _ "Blue? Really? Cuz of my hair?" _

"Yeah partly. When I dunno people's names I come up with some for em in my head. Chose yours cuz of your hair and you always looked pretty sad in class. When Pipsqueak is talking to you usually you seem pretty happy but when the others show up and they talk to each other and not you it’s like you turn into a neglected puppy dog." He explains while filling in the last few questions she had written for him, somewhat absentmindedly rambling as he does.

Sona blinks, unsure of how to respond to that. She usually is so precise in making sure she keeps up her outward appearance of being a joyful and warm person. Has she gotten worse at hiding it? 

Draven seems to notice she's not responding and glances up at her, his striking green eyes flicking across her face as he tries to read her expression. "I'll come up with somethin better before the end of the semester, since we're going to be spending so much time together anyway. Are you busy Friday night? Got time for another session this week?"

She lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, thankful for the subject change.  _ "No. Going to a party. Maybe Sunday?" _

"Oo a  _ party _ . You didn't seem like the type. Pinned you as a bookworm Demacian goodie goodie." He snickers to himself, like he finds the idea funny. 

_ "Clearly there's a lot you don't know about me."  _ She passes the note with a bit of extra force this time.

He grins as his eyes skim her words before looking back up at her. "Good. Makes talking to you more interesting." 


	3. Chapter 3

Sona uses her phone to check her appearance for the twentieth time that night as she sits anxiously in the backseat of Eve's car. Her blue hair for once isn't tied back in pigtails and is instead intricately styled and flowing down her back. It's a lot of work to style this much hair, so she usually doesn't do much more than blow dry, but tonight is different. Tonight she's going to a frat party. She notices her lipstick is smudging and reaches into her purse to find her stick of it and quickly reapply it. 

Tweaking her appearance keeps her occupied as Ahri and Evelynn chat with each other in the front seats. Eve graciously offered to drive them and pick them up from the party, since the frat house wasn't too far from her own apartment, and most likely Ahri and Sona won't be able to get themselves home safely afterwards knowing how much alcohol gets ingested by the average party goer.

"Is this the place?" Eve asks as she slowly approaches a large suburban home. All the windows have lights flashing in different colors and Sona can hear the music all the way from the car. There's a bunch of people lounging in the grassy yard, surrounded by empty red solo cups and kegs filled with questionable liquids. The roof is covered in toilet paper and there's a couple making out on the second floor balcony.

"This looks like an Alpha Delta Chi party alright." Ahri says, her tone not hiding her mild distaste as she opens her car door and steps outside.

"You girls be safe. Call me when you want me to pick you up. Or if you need me to rip one of these boy's throats out for you." Eve says with a sly wink. Sona rolls her eyes and steps out of the car beside Ahri.

Ahri is wearing a skin tight red dress that shows off every one of her curves. Sona went with something similarly seductive. A black dress that's a lot more low cut than she’s used to. She had borrowed it from Eve's wardrobe and it's a tad tight. Along with her lipstick that was a brand appropriately called  _ Maneater _ . Sona shivers in the cold air, the dress she's wearing really isn't the most comfortable for the November chill. 

Ahri hooks her arm through Sona's elbow. "You look like a deer in headlights. Relax." She tugs Sona towards the house and she lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. There's some frat members guarding the entrance to the frat house as they bounce out Male students trying to enter the party. Ahri had mentioned it would be a "ratioed" party, where the frat tries to keep the amount of "babes" at the party higher than the amount of dudes because "sausage parties aren't fun." Sona grimaces as she watches girls getting into the party for free with a flirty wink, but the dudes in line have to pay a large sum to get in or just aren't being allowed in at all unless they bring a lady friend. Kinda gross...

The red haired buff frat student smiles at Sona and Ahri as they reach the front of the line. He waves them in and Ahri blows him a kiss like he's doing them a huge favor.

Inside is a sea of drunk college students not even dancing to the beat of the song the DJ is playing. The music itself is deafening, if you can even call it that with how unintelligible the notes are due to the sheer volume of the speakers. The smell of alcohol and sweat hits Sona like a wave once they're actually in what once was a living room converted into a dance floor.

Ahri tugs Sona closer so she can shout over the music. "Alright I'm gonna go try to sneak upstairs. Keep your phone on I'll text you if I need help. And try to look natural! Grab a drink and mingle!" Sona just nods nervously. Ahri smiles and slinks off into the sea of people leaving Sona alone. 

She's really just here for moral support and immediate emergency help if she gets caught in the act of swiping the undies. They shouldn't be here very long. It's an in and out operation. She just needs to act natural, which is very much not what she is doing standing around anxiously by herself. 

She makes her way to the kitchen, determined to avoid the dance floor as much as she can, squeezing by the swathes of people to pop into the large dining area. It's crowded in here but less so than the dance floor, and the speakers are muffled so she can actually  _ think.  _ Her eardrums are still ringing just from the few moments spent in the other room.

Sona manages to squeeze through the line, grab a red solo cup filled with a fruity smelling alcoholic liquid, and manages to snag a place to sit on a small futon that had been shoved into the room, presumably originally from the living room.

The couch cushions are damp and have a smell faintly matching the liquid in her cup. Her stomach churns as she sips at the brightly colored drink, it has a bittersweet taste, like red Gatorade mixed with multiple types of beer. Sona wouldn't be surprised if that's precisely what it is, but Sona isn't much of a drinker so she's pleased how easy it goes down. She can’t tell if she’s a lightweight, the fact she hasn’t eaten all day, or if the drink is surprisingly strong, but within a few sips she already is feeling the creep of alcohol on her veins. It’s not a bad thing, she notes. Her stomach is warm and the nerves she was feeling earlier start to relax.

The couch cushions dip beside her as someone much heavier slides into the seat at her side. A man with chiseled features and black combed back hair has taken a spot at her side. He’s handsome, but looks like the typical business major around here and a little uninteresting from Sona’s perspective. From his letterman jacket Sona can tell he's a member of the fraternity hosting this party. "Why hello miss. I haven't seen you before, what's your name?"

She has to hold back a sigh as she digs into the small shoulder bag holding her phone, wallet, and an index card for just this occasion. She slides it out and hands it to him. "Oh are we exchanging numbers already?" He muses to himself as he takes it from her. Sona notes his brashness reminds her a bit of Draven, but she's disliking how he has snuck an arm around the back of the couch cushion nearly resting on her shoulders.

His eyes scan over the index card.  _ Hello! My name is Sona and I'm mute :)  _

She watches as his expression changes from one of pride to confusion then curiosity. "Guess that means you’re a good listener. I like that. I’m Jayce.”

Sona has to stop herself from rolling her eyes. She needs to blend in, and at least letting this boy chat her ear off will keep herself from dying of boredom while waiting for Ahri. So she does and she smiles and nods at all the right times to keep him happily chatting with her. Jayce tells her how he’s a junior engineering major, top of his class while balancing frat life. He’s looking to get a masters and a doctorate eventually, already has some fancy internships lined up over in Piltover, all the while he keeps making sure to top off her drink if it ever looks empty, which she is thankful for. She doesn’t think she’d be able to handle this guy sober. 

It’s certainly an impressive portfolio, but all the dude has to talk about is himself. She’s suddenly acutely aware of how even if she feels excluded sometimes by her friends due to her muteness, they at least make an  _ effort  _ to try to involve her in the conversation occasionally. Even Draven, in all his self glorifying talk, seems to do it to try to goad reactions out of Sona, keeping her involved in his own way. This Jayce guy is just talking to hear himself talk. 

Jeez… Is she really missing Draven’s company of all people? Must be the alcohol getting to her.

Eventually he invites her to dance out in the living room, and somewhat reluctantly she nods in acceptance. She hasn’t really danced in a few years, and most certainly not in a party setting like this. But she’s  _ supposed _ to be here to party after all.

She takes his hand and follows him to the dance floor, and she’s somewhat grateful at least for his hand stabilizing her. Her legs are starting to feel a bit wobbly. She follows Jayce’s lead and the rest of the party goers of what is the appropriate dancing, which seems to just be jumping around and grinding on anyone in the general vicinity. Jayce is keen to keep his hands on her hips and their bodies pressed close. If she had been sober she’d probably be more appalled at this.

Jayce is interrupted by some more frat bros wandering over to this side of the house and getting Jayce’s attention. A beefy looking dude with a ginger beard and a matching letterman to Jayce’s stumbles through the thick crowd of people, nearly bumping into them. “Uh Jayce we have a problem!” He calls over the roar of people.

“What is it Olaf?” Jayce asks, sounding completely disinterested, not even looking over to him.

“It’s Brolaf on party nights.”

Jayce groans. “ _ Brolaf _ . I’m busy. What is it?”

“We have an intruder.” ~~Brolaf~~ Olaf says and Sona’s heart stutters for a second. She pulls out her phone to see if Ahri had sent her any texts, but there’s nothing from her. “That Ezreal guy snuck in again.”

Sona sighs in relief, which thankfully Jayce doesn’t notice. “How did he get past Sett?”

“Uh some goth kid was flirting with him apparently and he didn’t notice.” 

Jayce pinches the bridge of his nose before peeling himself off of Sona. “My apologies miss Sona. I have to go kick out a party crasher.” Sona is honestly not too upset about losing Jayce’s company. 

Olaf is scratching the back of his neck somewhat guiltily. “Sorry bout ruining your time with Jayce, Ma'am... Hey! I can show you the VIP lounge if you want. To make it up to you. It’s where we keep the good drinks.”

VIP lounge peaks her interest, just because it sounds like it’s out of the massive crowds. She nods and he leads her away from the crowd of people. 

* * *

The VIP lounge just ends up being a souped up game room in the basement. There’s a foosball table, pictures of past graduates line the walls, and there seems to be a stash of much fancier whiskey which Olaf gladly pours her a glass of when they enter. It’s also quieter. There are speakers playing some music she doesn’t recognize but not at an ungodly volume, and the people here all seem to be members of the frat and their dates lounging and chatting amongst themselves. 

Olaf is much less charismatic or handsome than Jayce, but Sona enjoys his company endlessly more. He’s goofy and boisterous, and she finds herself relaxing even the slightest bit more in his company. She’s happy to lounge on couches that are less stained from spilled alcoholic concoctions and listen to Olaf tell tales of parties gone wrong.

“Brolaf! Hey my man!” A broad shouldered man approaches where they’re sitting and gives Olaf an ecstatic pat on the back before sitting opposite him. Sona immediately recognizes him, nearly spitting out the bitter whiskey she had been nursing. Jarvan Lightshield the fourth, eldest son of the Mayor of Demacia. A celebrity in his own right, and one Sona has met before regrettably. 

“J4 bro! How are ya!” Olaf cheerily greets him, smiling wide. “J4 this is uh.. Sona. Yeah Sona was her name. And Sona this is J4.” 

Jarvan looks her up and down. “Have we... met before?”

Sona shakes her head as Olaf leans towards Jarvan and not so subtly whispers to him “I think Jayce has dibs.” Sona grimaces, not quite enjoying the fact the boys here think they can DIBS a person.

Jarvan just brushes him off. “You’re very familiar looking. And that name…”

_ Please don’t remember please don’t remember  _ Sona forces a dumbfounded look, trying to look confused about what he could mean.

“She gave me this card that says she’s a mute-” Olaf says and Jarvan’s eyes light up.

“That's it! Sona Buvelle! DJ Sona right?”

Fuck.

“Wait from that Demacia Channel show?”

**Fuck.**

“Yeah! My dad roped me into guest starring on an episode one time!”

“Oh shit! Did she actually have musical super powers like the show?”

"No you dumbass. But I remember the producer saying all the music was composed by her, right Sona?” Both Olaf and Jarvan turn to Sona who at this moment feels like she’s sea sick. The world is rocking beneath her as her stomach churns. This really is her worst nightmare come to life. She manages to nod slowly in response, but her anxiety is through the roof and her heart is pounding her ears.

“Shit can you play us some? I loved that show as a kid!” Her eyes flick between the two of them. This is what happens every time people suss out who she is. They want to see her music. They want her picture, her autograph,  _ something  _ from her. All for something she really never wanted to do in the first place. Something her mother insisted and funded because her adopted daughter was a musical prodigy. Filming those 3 seasons of the show were the worst years of her childhood, something she tries to repress as much as she can, and this always brings the memories back to the forefront. 

Sona forces a smile as she scrolls through her phone to the music folder she still has filled with the songs. She can’t bring herself to delete them, at the time she poured her heart into them, but man she wishes she had for moments like this. She hands her phone over to Olaf, expecting them to just play the songs through the speaker of her phone and that’d satisfy them, but no, he instead runs over where the speaker setup is and starts plugging her phone into  _ that _ . 

Olaf turns off whatever song is on and there’s some grumbling amongst the VIPs of the party. Olaf clears his throat. “Ladies and Gentlemen of Alpha Delta Chi’s most radicalest partygoers, we have been graced with a special guest. Miss DJ Sona!”

**_Fuck._ **

He hits play and her old tracks she had made back in  _ middle school  _ start blaring out of them. Memories of her mother's scolding, that she wasn't good enough, that these songs weren't ever going to cut it outside of a kid's show. That Sona's 15 minutes of fame only exist because _she_ had allowed it to happen. 

There’s some murmuring amongst the partygoers before their eyes settle on Sona, pinpointing who the celebrity guest could possibly be.

“Is that really her?”

"Was that the show with the mute?"

“Think she’ll give us an autograph if we ask?”

“Dude forget autographs, I need to get a pic with her for my Instagram!”

Sona isn’t sure what exactly takes over her. Some primal instinct. Fight or flight kicking in. She’s on her feet in an instant and bolts for the door, going up the flight of stairs and taking them two steps at a time. Her only thought is she needs to get  _ out. Away. _ She aggressively shoves past the red headed bouncer and sprints through the yard, ignoring all the eyes on her as she goes.  She needs to be anywhere but that party.

So she runs. 

And runs. 

And runs.

It’s not graceful. She’s completely wasted and stumbles multiple times on the sidewalk, scuffing her knees and breaking one of her high heels. But she keeps running and running until the frat house is far out of sight and her lungs are burning from the cold night air and exertion. She only stops when her knees give out beneath her. She has no adrenaline left to spend. Once the panic attack she was having subsides, a new existential fear dawns on her.

She has no idea where she is.

Demacia city of course, but where exactly she has no clue. She’s collapsed in a random alleyway, between two bars it seems, finally letting the evening's events catch up to her alcohol addled mind. Which is of course when her stomach has decided it’s had enough of the abuse of the night, and she’s retching onto the pavement. A mixture of the panic and pure disdain for the amount of poison she’s put into her stomach has her body revolting against her. She retches up every drop that was still in her stomach until there's only stomach acid left. Her throat burns and tastes of bile as she finishes vomiting.

God she’s a  _ mess _ . A thought that only causes her to feel even  _ worse.  _ She goes to check for her phone only to realize it's missing. Oh. She left it with Olaf. Of course. She feels the pinprick of tears as the gravity of just _how_ fucked she is settles onto her. She can't even call Eve to come find her now! Her shoulders begin to shake in a silent sob. It's too much. This night is too much. 

Sona’s not sure how long she’s sitting there in her own filth. She’s too tired to move. She’s vaguely aware of people passing her by, most ignoring her. This is probably a normal Friday evening for these people after all. She’s just another young person making bad life choices, vomiting and sobbing in an alleyway is just a normal sight.

Which is why she doesn’t notice the familiar obnoxious voice from down the street until it’s calling her name.

“Hey Sona is that you? Shit... Blue what the fuck happened?”

_ Draven. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad you guys are liking the fic so far! Ty for all the comments and ty for you concern, work's been a lot better now and I'm excited to be updating a bit more regularly now :D


	4. Chapter 4

"Never thought I'd say this, but you look like absolute shit Blue." Draven says with his characteristic shit eating grin. It's clearly forced though, an attempt to lighten the mood.

He's crouched to her level, his bright green eyes betraying his worry as he scans her face. Sona doesn't know how to feel. She's nauseous, her head is still spinning and her vision blurred. Really the only thing anchoring her to consciousness is her overwhelming fear of being lost out here. 

When she makes no noticeable reaction to his jab Draven frowns. "You hurt anywhere?" She shakes her head. The action makes her feel wobbly, and she must have been about to fall over as Draven's hand is quickly on her shoulder, steadying her. "Gods you're fucked up alright. You need a doc?" 

She shakes her head more vehemently at that suggestion, panic stabbing through her alcohol addled mind. Her parents are still her legal guardians and the thought of her  _ mother  _ being called to the hospital because Sona drank too much at a  _ frat party  _ is a scarier scenario than death via alcohol poisoning. "Okay okay no docs… Shit I can't just leave you here like this, Blue. You live nearby?" She once again shakes her head.

He scratches his head, breathing deeply as he racks his brain. "You wanna crash at my place? I can take you home on my bike in the morning when I'm not worried you might tumble off and you can give me coherent directions." Draven throws it out there like a last resort option, clearly expecting another rejection from her.

Sona hesitates mulling it over. The last thing she had ever thought about doing was spending a night at Draven's place. But she's exhausted, feeling sick, and most importantly desperate and afraid. What other option does she have honestly? When drowning do you reject the lifeline offered to you because it's not familiar enough to you?

She nods her head tentatively and his eyebrows raise, clearly not having expected that response. "Can you walk?" Head shake. He chuckles softly. "Alright well then c'mere princess, gonna have to carry your highness back to my humble apartment." 

Draven carefully lifts her into his arms. She rests her own arm around his neck and presses her cheek into the soft leather jacket of his. His body is warm against hers, and it melts away any apprehension she had about the decision. For at least a moment she feels safe.

* * *

Sona falls asleep in his arms. She doesn't realize it at first until she wakes up to fervent whispers around her, like two people are arguing without trying to wake her up. Draven's roommate she figures. Her eyes flicker open to a dimly lit apartment. 

It's sparsely decorated with only the bare essential furniture. The walls look like a Jackson Pollock painting made of water stains and chipped paint. She's situated on a lumpy couch in the living area, a pillow is tucked under her head and a heavy blanket draped across her body. She turns her head and sees on the coffee table a set of pajamas is neatly folded with a notepad and pen placed on the top beside a few bottles of water.

She's suddenly aware of how dry her mouth is and she reaches out to grab the bottle. It's still cool to the touch so it hasn't been set out for long. She pops the cap and takes a long drink. Her head is pounding, her eyes hurt, and she still feels a tad nauseous, but the water certainly makes her feel slightly refreshed.

The whispering she is able to pinpoint as coming from what she assumes to be the kitchen judging by the sound of bacon sizzling.

"You have no plan then? What if she doesn't wake up-" a deep baritone voice argues but is swiftly interrupted by the familiar jovial tone she's come to associate with Draven.

"Darius, she didn't want me to take her to the hospital. What was I supposed to do?"

"Don't listen to the drunk girl, her decision is impaired. It's mid afternoon and she hasn't woken up yet?"

"So? I was out for like 24 hours that one time in highschool."

"Yeah when you had a concussion and we had to take you to the  _ hospital. _ "

"I don't remember that part." 

"Maybe because you were concussed." There's the sound of a smack and Draven yelps in pain.

"Well don't give me another one jeez!"

Sona rolls her eyes, a feat that makes her pounding headache worse. The two are being so  _ loud _ and there's nothing she can do to get their attention without getting up, something she  _ really  _ is reluctant to do. She feels like if she gets up she'll pass out from the head pain, throw up, or both at the same time. Her fingers fiddle with the cap of the water bottle before screwing it on  _ tight _ . She closes one eye and tosses it  _ hard  _ at the wall dividing the kitchen from the living room. It makes a large  _ smack _ as it collides and thumps onto the carpet. The plastic is dented but it didn't break, thankfully. 

The two stop their argument to peak out of the kitchen to where Sona has her arms crossed looking at them angrily. Draven smiles widely at her before looking back at the taller more muscular man at his side. "See Darius I told you she's fine."

Darius has a stony expression, his brown eyes are set below a strong brow that’s currently furrowed. A scar runs down his face from his left eyebrow to his cheekbone. It gives him a much more grim demeanor in comparison to the goofiness of Draven's wide smile. "That doesn't undercut what I said-" 

Sona interrupts the two by tossing a crumpled note at them, it's about to hit Draven in the head when Darius catches it. She notes to herself he has good reflexes. He uncrumples the note, silently reads over it, before laughing to himself. 

"Hey what did she say, gimme." Draven reaches to snatch the note from Darius who rolls his eyes.

"She says you're too loud and making her headache worse." He says as he hands Draven the crumpled note before walking back into the kitchen. 

Draven's eyes scan the paper, sees that Sona did indeed say that, and feigns being hurt. "Blue is that anyway to talk to your knight in shining armor?" 

Another crumpled note is tossed and this time lands squarely between Draven's eyes. She laughs to herself, quite pleased with her aim. She makes no noise when she laughs but her breath hitches and her shoulders shake a bit, it causes Draven to grin back as he uncrumples the note.  _ "Yes."  _ It reads and then a few lines below it  _ "Can I use your shower? I feel disgusting."  _

"Of course princess. Maybe that should be your new nickname hm?" She grimaces and he laughs to himself at her face. "Aight I'll keep workshopping a better one." 

* * *

The water in their shower takes a while to warm up but when it does it feels good to step into it. The grime and smudged makeup slides off her and down the drain, and although she still feels wobbly on her feet, feeling _clean_ helps her erase the embarrassing memories of the night before. 

The hair products the boys have in their shower are cheap but she's just thankful they even have some form of conditioner. Must belong to Draven, he seems more concerned with his hair than Darius who just sports a combed back look. When she steps out she towel dries it and ties it into a messy bun, too tired to dry it nicely. 

She steps into the spare clothes Draven gave her. They're clearly Draven's and are far too baggy on her but it beats the too tight and puke stained dress from before. He even lent her a pair of boxers, which she had debated wearing, but her own undergarments were definitely in a state of needing a wash after last night so she swallows her awkwardness and sports them as well. She'd feel even weirder going commando. 

When she steps out of the bathroom she finds the two boys in the kitchen at a tiny round table. Darius and Draven are both pretty muscular, Darius more so than Draven, and they make their kitchen table look absolutely miniscule compared to them. There’s a third chair placed at the table, that clearly doesn’t match the other two chairs, that seems to be meant for her considering there’s a notepad and a pencil conveniently placed next to it. The table is set with plastic plates and cutlery and there’s a warm plate of bacon and eggs waiting for her while the two are arguing amongst themselves. There’s a radio on lowly playing some rock song she doesn’t recognize.

Sona’s stomach growls as she situates herself between the two. She had emptied her stomach  _ multiple  _ times between yesterday and today so she’s feeling particularly ravenous. She doesn’t even care that the food is rather plainly seasoned, she’s just eager to eat. 

When Sona takes her seat beside the two Darius stops his arguing with Draven mid sentence to turn his attention to her. “Forgive me for not having a proper introduction. I’m Darius, Draven’s brother.” He holds out a large hand for her to shake which she takes. It’s funny how different the two are, Darius seems very cordial and solemn while Draven is brash and boisterous. She can see the similarities in their faces now that he mentions they’re related but other than that they’re like night and day.

Draven clears his throat to get their attention. “So you should give me the car keys today.” He seems to be picking up the argument where Darius left off.

“I need it to get to basketball practice.” Darius counters. “Just use your bike.”

“Why can’t  _ you  _ take the bike to practice?”

“Because it’s my turn to carpool half the team there. What’s wrong with taking Sona home on the bike?”

“Because we only own one damn helmet!”

“That sounds like your mistake. I’ve told you multiple times to get a spare. Besides you forget the helmet half the time anyway, just lend it to her for the ride there and drive carefully for once.”

Draven sighs as he turns to Sona, a defeated look on his face. “You good with me taking you home on the motorcycle then? I know some people are nervous around them.”

Truthfully there’s a part of her that does find it a bit scary, but after the past few days she’s had riding a motorcycle seems like the least nerve wracking thing. She picks up the notepad and pen that had been sitting there and scribbles a note for Draven.

_ “As long as your driving is better than your sheet music...” _

“Hey! Blue, that’s a low blow!” Draven responds after reading it, his smile betraying that he finds the note amusing.

Sona contemplates writing another witty retort to him when suddenly the rock music that was playing on the radio cuts out and is replaced by a news reporter’s voice.

_ “Good afternoon Demacia, this is WDMA with your afternoon news update. Demacia City Police are teaming up with Campus Police in search of another missing student. Sona Buvelle was last seen last night at East Silvermere Street. Police have not yet confirmed if they believe that her disappearance is at all related to the horrific murder that took place just over 2 weeks ago.” _

“Draven-” Darius begins to say before Draven cuts him off.

“I know. C’mon Sona, let’s get you home before people start thinking you’re a dead girl now too.”

Sona nods, feeling her stomach sink with dread. She had completely forgotten that with current events going on, her going off the grid after a party probably is major cause for concern. Ahri must be worried sick. Also if her name is being blasted all over the news then the chances of her parents knowing about this whole fiasco are pretty high... 

She writes a quick thank you note to Darius for the food and hospitality which causes the larger man to crack a small smile, before gathering her belongings and following Draven out the apartment door.


End file.
